James Kochalka (born May 26, 1967, in

Springfield, Vermont Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,062. History The land currently recognized as Springfield is the traditional land of the Pennacook and Abenaki people. One of th ...

) is an American comic book artist, writer, animator, and rock musician. His comics are noted for their blending of the real and the surreal. Largely autobiographical, Kochalka's cartoon expression of the world around him includes such real-life characters as his wife, children, cat, friends and colleagues, but always filtered through his own observations and flights of whimsy. In March 2011 he was declared the cartoonist laureate of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

, serving a term of three years.

Early life and early career

Kochalka grew up in

. He attended the

Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a private art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the oldest art colleges in the ...

and has an MFA in painting. His first published comics work was around 1994. He has cited by cartoonist

Daniel Clowes Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in '' Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''Eightball'' issue typical ...

as being a key inspiration in leading him "towards a whole world of comics that enever knew existed." Kochalka strongly believes that simplicity is desirable in comics and says that "craft is the enemy", and has had public debates in print and online with other cartoonists who disagree with his position. Kochalka's "Craft Is the Enemy" essays were collected in the 2005 book '' The Cute Manifesto''.

Career

Kochalka spent six years working in a Chinese restaurant in Winooski, Vermont, before leaving to devote his full energy to cartooning and music. His song "Hockey Monkey", recorded with the band The Zambonis, was the theme song for the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve s ...

series '' The Loop''.

Comics and graphic novels

Comic book writer/artist

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on Daredevil (Marvel Comics ser ...

told SuicideGirls that he is a "big fan of James Kochalka," predicting Kochalka is "going to become more important and it's going to be fun watching that happen. He reminds me of me when I was six years old and I came into my mother's kitchen with a bunch of sheets of typing paper folded over and stapled in the middle that were covered with drawings and I said 'Mom this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.' I've learned a lot from people like Kochalka because they do stuff that shouldn't work but does." Kochalka is prolific in his comics work. He told an interviewer in 2002 that he had created 2,000 pages of comics by the time he completed high school. His comics have earned him four

Ignatz Award The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997, only skipping a ...

s (Outstanding Minicomic 1997, Outstanding Series 2002, Outstanding Online Comic 2003 and 2004), a

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...

(Best Online Comic 2006), and multiple nominations for the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

. His work is characterized by a simple drawing style, bright colors, and frequent appearances by cats, robots, elves, and monkeys. Among his most widely disseminated works is a four-page story, "Hulk vs. the Rain", that originally appeared in black-and-white in an unauthorized alternative comic called '' Coober Skeber''. The story was later redrawn in color by Kochalka for inclusion in Marvel's '' Incredible Hulk'' 2001 Annual. The first issue of his comic ''SuperF*ckers'' sold approximately 2,500 copies through Diamond Distributing. In 2002, Kochalka said that all 5,000 copies of the first printing of the ''Monkey vs. Robot'' graphic novel had sold out. There has since been a second printing, and in an interview in August 2006 Kochalka said that over 10,000 copies of ''Monkey vs. Robot'' have been sold to date. Kochalka created the comic ''Impy And Wormer'', which appeared in '' Nickelodeon Magazine''. In July 2012 Kochalka won the Eisner Award for his book ''Dragon Puncher 2: Dragon Puncher Island''. Kochalka's two primary publishers are

Top Shelf Productions Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. Now an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia. Top Shelf p ...

and

Alternative Comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which i ...

. He has also published numerous short stories in comics anthologies, self-published his own mini-comics, and published graphic novels through other publishers such as Black Eye,

Slave Labor Graphics Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an independent American comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoenix, ...

and

Highwater Books Highwater Books was a small but influential independent comic book publisher based in Somerville, Massachusetts, noted for its arty editorial direction and production values under publisher Tom Devlin. Highwater began in 1997 and folded in Novembe ...

. He also makes the SpongeFunnies in the ''

SpongeBob Comics ''SpongeBob Comics'' was a comic book series based on the animated TV show '' SpongeBob SquarePants'', published by United Plankton Pictures and distributed by Bongo Comics. It was initially published every two months in the United States beginni ...

'' series of comics.

American Elf

For more than 14 years, from October 26, 1998 – December 31, 2012, Kochalka kept a daily diary comic strip. These strips have been published by

, first as ''The Sketchbook Diaries'' and then in collected form as ''American Elf''. Kochalka told ''

The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on August ...

'' that he wrote the first diary entry while traveling by plane to the

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

. Kochalka's friend and fellow cartoonist

Brian Ralph Brian Ralph (born 1973) is an American alternative cartoonist. His illustrations have appeared in ''Wired'' and the ''New York Post''. His debut graphic novel, ''Cave-In'', was nominated for three Harvey Awards, one Eisner Award, and listed as one ...

was working on his comics on the flight, and Kochalka was inspired to begin cartooning on the plane as well. Kochalka created diary strips during the week of the convention, and committed to doing a diary strip every day. The strip finally ended on December 31, 2012, with one final epilogue-style strip titled "Am I alive?" published on March 23, 2013. Additionally, Kochalka published a tribute entry to his cat, Spandy, after her death in February 2014. The book ''American Elf'' is a collection of Kochalka's daily diary strips, released in a large edition by

in Summer 2004, compiling five years of the daily diary strips and other supplemental material. A second volume was released in early 2007, collecting years six and seven of the daily strips in full color. A third volume followed in November 2008, collecting the years 2006 and 2007 in color. Beginning in December 2007, Kochalka made all of his daily diary strip archives free for all readers; previously the archives had only been accessible to paying subscribers, with only the newest strip available for free. Under the relaunched "American Elf Supersite," all the archived strips dating back to 2002 were free for all readers, while paying subscribers receive access to other comics and MP3s. Kochalka reported on his blog that the site had received around 200,000 hits as a result of the change. Subsequently he opened the archives all the way back to the strip's beginning in 1998. As of 2017, those archives are no longer available, as the bulk of Kochalka's sketchbook diaries are sold in digital editions by Kochalka's publisher Top Shelf Productions.

SuperFuckers

SuperFuckers (censored as "SuperF*ckers", "SuperF***ers", or "Super'F'-ers") is an adult-rated comic book series published by Top Shelf Productions between 2005 and 2007. The series revolves around a collection of crude and rude superheroes who never actually do any superhero work.

Frederator Studios Frederator Studios is an American animation television production studio which is a division of Frederator Networks, Inc. It was founded by Fred Seibert in 1997 with its first series launching in 1998. (Seibert resigned from Frederator in Augus ...

approached Kochalka with the possibility of producing an animated cartoon based on the comics. After pitching the show around to various cable television networks, Frederator produced the series for distribution on its YouTube funded partner channel Cartoon Hangover. The series premiered on November 30, 2012. The first season consists of twelve five-minute episodes and follows closely to the comics. The series features

David Faustino David Anthony Faustino (; born March 3, 1974) is an American actor and radio personality primarily known for his role as Bud Bundy on the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children''. He has also voiced animated characters for Nickelodeon, includin ...

in the lead role of Jack Krak, as well as

Maria Bamford Maria Bamford (born September 3, 1970) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. Her work has drawn critical acclaim and controversy because her humor often uses self-deprecating and dark topics, including her dysfunctional family, depression ...

Jaleel White Jaleel Ahmad White (born November 27, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel on the sitcom ''Family Matters''. The character was originally intended to be a one-time guest appearance on the show; however, he wa ...

Veronica Belmont Veronica Ann Belmont (born July 21, 1982) is an American online media personality. She was formerly the co-host of the Revision3 show '' Tekzilla'' alongside Patrick Norton. Belmont was the co-host of the former TWiT.tv gaming show ''Game On!'' ...

, Phil Morris, and Jeff B. Davis. The series was directed by Fran Krause, written by Kochalka, and features the music of Anthony Davis and Dustin Pilkington of

Best Fwends Best Fwends are a musical group from Fort Worth, Texas. All but unknown in the United States, the duo have attracted much more notice in Europe, having been featured in a Bacardi commercial in the United Kingdom and performing at Iceland Airwav ...

Glorkian Warrior

Glorkian Warrior is a series of books oriented at a younger audience. created by Kochalka and published by FirstSecond. The first (of three) is called ''Glorkian Warrior Delivers a Pizza''. The second graphic novel, ''Glorkian Warrior Eats Adventure Pie'' was released in March 2015 and the third book ''The Glorkian Warrior and the Mustache of Destiny'' came out a year later. The character was created by Kochalka and along with Pixeljam was made into a videogame called ''Glorkian Warrior: The Trials of Glork''

Video games

In 2010 Kochalka and Pixeljam Games did a Kickstarter to fund James' idea for a game called ''Glorkian Warrior''. March 13, 2014 the game, Glorkian Warrior: Trials of Glork, was released on the Apple App Store for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch devices. It is currently in development for Android, PC, Mac

Teaching

Kochalka was an instructor at the

Center for Cartoon Studies The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) is a Two-year college#United States, two-year institution focusing on sequential art, specifically comics and graphic novels

, a cartooning school in

White River Junction, Vermont White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest com ...

that was founded by cartoonist

James Sturm James Sturm (born 1965) is an American cartoonist and co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. Sturm is also the founder of the National Association of Comics Art Educators (NACAE), an organization committed ...

. Kochalka is part of the "Little Idiot Collective," a group of artists assembled by the musician

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

Music

Kochalka's band, James Kochalka Superstar, has released nine albums. '' Spread Your Evil Wings and Fly'' was completed some time before its release in the fall of 2005; an online petition was launched to convince Kochalka's record label

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record l ...

to release the CD. Over 500 people signed the petition demanding the album's release. It was followed by "Digital Elf" in 2009, "Good Morning, Glorkian Warrior" in 2015, "How To Tie A Tie On The Internet" in 2018, and "Eggs" in 2019. Additionally, two of Kochalka's other recordings have been released since, "Monkey Vs. Robot" and "Why Is The Sky Blue". Both hold copyrights from 1997 and 2005, respectively, and are listed on Spotify with those release dates. Virtually all of Kochalka's CDs come packaged with his cartoons in the accompanying pamphlets, in some cases using the pamphlet as a full-length mini-comic. Kochalka's best-known musical works are probably the songs "Pizza Rocket" and "Hockey Monkey", the music videos for which were shown on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...

's animation showcase series ''

KaBlam! ''KaBlam!'' (stylized as ''KaBLaM!'') is an American animated sketch comedy television series that ran on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2000. The series was created by Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Chris Viscardi. The show was developed as a fu ...

''.

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

named "Britney's Silver Can" one of "The 100 Best Songs of 2006". The song "Hockey Monkey", which James co-authored with The Zambonis, was used as theme song of the Fox comedy, '' The Loop''. Kochalka was also in the band Jazzin' Hell, and contributed vocals as the character Frank Poole in the rock opera CD, ''ODYSSEY!'' Moby sang back-up vocals on a seven-inch single from Kochalka's former band Jazzin' Hell, an outtake of which resurfaced on Kochalka's album ''Don't Trust Whitey''.

Personal life

Kochalka lives in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

with his wife Amy and their two sons, Eli and Oliver.

Bibliography

*''American Elf'' (limited edition hardcover; published by Top Shelf) (May 2004) *''American Elf'' (softcover; published by Top Shelf) (2004) *''American Elf Vol. 2'' (softcover; published by Top Shelf) (Mar. 2007) *''Atlas 1'' (backup story; published by Drawn and Quarterly) *''Bizarro Comics'' (wrote

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

story illustrated by

Dylan Horrocks Dylan Horrocks (born 1966 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a cartoonist best known for his graphic novel '' Hicksville'' and his scripts for the ''Batgirl'' comic book series. His works are published by the University of Auckland student magazine ''Cr ...

; DC Comics) *''Bogus Dead'' (zombie anthology with two-page story by Jason Cooley and James Kochalka) *''Conversation'' #1 (with

Craig Thompson Craig Matthew Thompson (born September 21, 1975) is an American graphic novelist best known for his books ''Good-bye, Chunky Rice'' (1999), ''Blankets'' (2003), '' Carnet de Voyage'' (2004), '' Habibi'' (2011), and '' Space Dumplins'' (2015). Tho ...

; published by Top Shelf) (May 2004) *''Conversation'' #2 (with Jeffrey Brown; published by Top Shelf) (Aug., 2005) *''Cute Manifesto, The'' (Aug. 2005; published by Alternative Comics) *''Dragon Puncher'' (2010; Top Shelf) *''Dragon Puncher Island'' (2011; Top Shelf) *''Deadbear, Circus Detective'' (self-published hardcover) *''Fancy Froglin's Sexy Forest'' (2003; published by Alternative Comics) *''Fantastic Butterflies'' (2002; published by Alternative Comics and Highwater Books) *''Fungus'' (2011; Retrofit Comics) *''Fungus: The Unbearable Rot of Being'' (2014; Retrofit Comics / Big Planet Comics) *''Horrible Truth About Comics, The'' (2001; published by Alternative Comics) *''James Kochalka Superstar #1–11'' (Self-published mini-comics) *''Johnny Boo: The Best Little Ghost in the Whole World'' (Vol. 1) (Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo: Twinkle Power'' (Vol. 2) (2008; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo and the Happy Apples'' (Vol. 3) (2009; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo and the Mean Little Boy'' (Vol. 4) (2010; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo Does Something!'' (Vol. 5) (2013; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo Zooms to the Moon!'' (Vol. 6) (2014; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo Meets Dragon Puncher'' (2015; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo Goes Like This'' (Vol. 7) (2016; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer'' (Vol. 8) (2018; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo is King!'' (Vol. 9) (2018; Top Shelf) *''Johnny Boo and the Midnight Monsters'' (Vol. 10) (2019 (upcoming); Top Shelf) *''Kissers'' (1999; published by Highwater Books) *''Little Mister Man #1–3'' (Slave Labor Graphics) *''Magic Boy and Girlfriend'' (1998; published by Top Shelf) *''Magic Boy and the Robot Elf'' (2003; published by Top Shelf) *''Mechaboys'' (2018; published by Top Shelf) *''Mermaid'' (1998; published by Alternative Comics) *''Monica's Story'' (1999; published by Alternative Comics) *''Monkey vs. Robot'' (Vol 1) (First Edition) (2000; published by Top Shelf; 2nd edition, in smaller size published in 2005 by Top Shelf) *''Monkey vs. Robot'' (Vol 2): Crystal of Power (2003; published by Top Shelf) *''Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things'' (anthology featuring 12-page Kochalka story; 2005; published by

McSweeney's McSweeney's Publishing is an American non-profit publishing house founded by Dave Eggers in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco. Initially publishing the literary journal'' Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'', the company has moved to ...

) *''Paradise Sucks'' (Black Eye Books) *''Peanutbutter & Jeremy #1–4'' (2000–2003; published by Alternative Comics) *''Peanutbutter & Jeremy's Best Book Ever'' (Dec. 2003; published by Alternative Comics) *''Perfect Planet and Other Stories, The'' (1999; published by Top Shelf) *''Pinky & Stinky'' (2002; published by Top Shelf) *''Quit Your Job'' (1998; published by Alternative Comics) *''Reinventing Everything #1'' (self-published mini-comic) *''Reinventing Everything #2'' (self-published mini-comic) *''Sketchbook Diaries'' (Vol 1) (2003; published by Top Shelf) *''Sketchbook Diaries'' (Vol 2) (2003; published by Top Shelf) *''Sketchbook Diaries'' (Vol 3) (2003; published by Top Shelf) *''Sketchbook Diaries'' (Vol 4) (Dec. 2003; published by Top Shelf) *''Squirrelly Gray'' (Aug. 2007; published by Random House) *''Sunburn'' (2000; published by Alternative Comics) *''Sunturd'' (2003) (mini-comic written by Jason Cooley, same art as Sunburn) *''SuperFuckers #1'' (Mar. 2005; published by Top Shelf) *''SuperFuckers #2'' (Aug. 2005; published by Top Shelf) *''SuperFuckers #3'' (2006; published by Top Shelf) *''SuperFuckers #4'' (2007; published by Top Shelf) *''Tiny Bubbles'' (1998; published by Highwater Books) *''Top Shelf #1'' (anthology title with Kochalka contribution; published by Top Shelf) *''Top Shelf #5'' (anthology title with Kochalka contribution; published by Top Shelf) *''Top Shelf #6'' (anthology title with Kochalka contribution; published by Top Shelf) *''Top Shelf Asks the Big Questions'' (anthology title with Kochalka contribution; published by Top Shelf) *''Triple Dare #1–2'' (1998–2000; Published by Alternative Comics) *''The Glorkian Warrior Delivers a Pizza'' (2014; First Second) *''The Glorkian Warrior Eats Adventure Pie'' (2015; First Second) *''The Glorkian Warrior and the Mustache of Destiny'' (2016; First Second)

Discography

Albums *1995, ''The True Story of James Kochalka Superstar'' (CD, Dot Dot Dash, DOT 7) *1996, ''4-Track Egomaniac'' (cassette, self-release) *1997, ''Monkey vs. Robot'' (CD & comic book, Tarquin Records, TQ-018) *1998, ''Punk Ass Bitch'' ith Jason Cooley(cassette, self-release) *1999, ''Kissers'' (bonus CD with graphic novel, Highwater Books) *1999, ''Carrot Boy The Beautiful'' (CD, Sudden Shame, SS024) *1999, ''Mermaid'' ith R Stevie Moore(cassette, self-release) *2001, ''Don't Trust Whitey'' (CD, Tarquin Records, TQ-025) *2002, ''Hot Chocolate Superstar'' (download-only , Dangerfive Records) *2002, ''Danger Force Five Singles Club'' ith Colin Clary(download-only, Dangerfive Records) *2004, ''Punky Brewskies'' s Punky Brewskies, with Jason X-12(cassette, Icebox Records IB3-001) *2006, ''Spread Your Evil Wings & Fly'' (CD, Rykodisc, RCD-10840) *2009, ''Digital Elf'' (CD, Top Shelf) *2012, ''Beautiful Man'' (download-only, self-release) *2018, ''How To Tie A Tie On The Internet'' (internet release, Kochalka Quality) *2019, ''Eggs'' (internet release, Kochalka Quality) EPs *1992, ''Egg Hunt'' ith Jazzin' Hell(7", Thicker Records, TQ-003) *1996, ''Bad Astronaut'' (7", Mustard Records, MUST001) *2012, ''I Am The Beast'' (download-only, self-release) Singles *1994, ''"Superstar Rastafari"'' b/w "2000" he Pants(7", Split Records, SPL-004) Compilations and Best-Of *1995, ''"Hot Dog Hot Rod Rider"'' from ''Good Citizen Vol 1 The Soundtrack to the Zine'' (CD, Good Citizen) *1996, ''"Ballbuster"'' (Headlock cover) from "Burlington Does Burlington, Vol 1 & 2" (CD, Good Citizen) *1997, ''"President Kochalka"'' from "Pop Pie" (Big Heavy World) *2003, ''"Even The Clouds Get High"'' from Rykodisc The Anthology (CD, Rykodisc) *2005, ''Our Most Beloved'' (CD, Rykodisc RCD 10678) (a best-of compilation packaged with a five-video DVD) *2006, ''Why is the Sky Blue?'' (download-only, Rykodisc/WEA) (a best-of compilation) *2010, ''Digital Elf/Kissers'' (LP re-release, Señor Hernandez Records)

References

External links

''American Elf'', Kochalka's webcomicOfficial ''SuperF*ckers'' website
*
Official ''Glorkian Warrior'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kochalka, James American animators American comic strip cartoonists American comics artists American comics writers American rock musicians American webcomic creators Alternative cartoonists Writers from Burlington, Vermont Rykodisc artists 1967 births Living people People from Springfield, Vermont Maryland Institute College of Art alumni Ignatz Award winners Ignatz Award winners for Outstanding Online Comic Musicians from Burlington, Vermont Artists from Burlington, Vermont